Jair Bolsonaro: Far-right candidate wins Brazil poll

[Judi Lynn]

21. AP Explains: How Brazil's Bolsonaro used Trump tactics

Sarah Dilorenzo and Peter Prengaman, Associated Press
Updated 11:41 am CDT, Sunday, October 28, 2018

SAO PAULO (AP) — Observers have long flirted with the idea that far-right Brazilian congressman Jair Bolsonaro, the front-runner in Sunday's presidential runoff, was a "tropical Trump." Bolsonaro has presented himself as someone who tells it like it is while promising to dismantle a dysfunctional political system, and who seeks to capture the imagination of many citizens afraid of losing their place in an increasingly diverse and inclusive society.

While U.S. President Donald Trump and Bolsonaro have many differences — before running, Trump was a billionaire businessman while Bolsonaro was long-time congressman with few legislative victories — many tactics used in their campaigns were remarkably similar.

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'STRAIGHT TALK'

Perhaps the biggest similarity and likely the one that initially gave rise to the comparisons between Bolsonaro and Trump is that neither man appears to measure his words. In the 2016 U.S. elections, Trump often billed himself as the man who wasn't afraid to say what everyone else was thinking. Bolsonaro shares the same lack of filter. Some of the comments that have gotten him in trouble reflect longstanding ideological positions, like his repeated praise for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship. Other comments may be more off the cuff and a wink at his reputation for shunning the "politically correct," like when he told an audience that he had a daughter "in a moment of weakness" after four sons. Both men "enjoy being outrageous and making statements for shock value," said Paulo Sotero, the director of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington.

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BASH MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Bolsonaro and his three oldest sons, who are also politicians, have hammered away at Brazil's main media organizations, accusing them of everything from telling outright lies about the candidate to ignoring his rise in the polls and endorsements from other politicians. Like Trump, they accuse the media of propping up the country's traditional elite and of trying to derail a campaign that might threaten it. Earlier this month, daily Folha de S. Paulo reported that Bolsonaro's campaign may have broken campaign finance laws because friendly businessmen were allegedly bankrolling blast messages on WhatsApp. Bolsonaro has responded by repeatedly calling Folha "fake news" and promising to punish it by cutting off government advertising.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/world/article/AP-Explains-How-Brazil-s-Bolsonaro-used-Trump-13342611.php